This winner of a new-age entertainer is actually a tribute to the 'complete'-ness of the ancient Indian film structure. The grand formula recalls the social films of the '50s with relatives fighting for property, turning the good family guys/gals out on the street. Only here the girls are Tabu and Aishwarya who turn the glamour pitch high early on. The songs begin well, but get diverted to such fantastical locations that belief gets suspended with a jolt.
Innovative twists, however, haul trite situations back to classicism. Tabu, the seemingly weak, shy sister of the family in question, is perceived widely to be unlucky. But she is the one who supports her sister and mother in the big bad city. Her inspiration is a filmmaker lover (Ajith) who after asking her to choose the title of his debut film, goes and changes the name.
The film is a hit but Tabu is heartbroken.
A masala tearjerker would have made the hero go back and change the name back to the original. Here the lover gives the practical, what's-in-a-name-don't-be-stupid type of thesis. Tears flow in the end but they don't insult your intelligence.
Aishwarya is shown as the romantic dreamer, aspiring for the perfect man. He arrives swashbuckling in rain but chickens out after the interval to marry elsewhere. In a memorable moment - with the lady uttering dialogues like "I am mature enough to see the beauty inside you" - she gives her love to a lame ex-ipkf Major (Mammootty) who had saved her life. The moral of the story being that the emotional apple cart has no fixed rules, that South Indian film heroes look great opposite top Bollywood lasses - and that Hindi cinema once again has no choice but to look south for inspiration.
